And Ferran Torres was not supposed to be part of that conversation. The forward had put together a solid campaign at Camp Nou, and the club's plan going into the summer was to open contract talks over an extension rather than weigh up a sale.
Paris Saint-Germain's arrival on the scene has scrambled that plan. The French champions are ready to move for Torres as they plan for the possibility of Bradley Barcola leaving this summer, and the appeal runs deeper than squad need alone — Luis Enrique coached Torres throughout his time in charge of Spain and has always rated him highly, giving PSG a personal as well as a tactical case for the move.
How close it actually is depends on who you ask. Some reports in Spain claim PSG and the player have already found common ground, leaving only a fee to be agreed between the clubs, while others caution the move is nowhere near as advanced as that suggests.
Barcelona are not blocking a sale — Torres has only a year left on his deal, and letting him walk for nothing in 2027 is the outcome they most want to avoid — but if PSG's interest cools, the club's fallback plan remains a new contract rather than an open-ended stand-off.
Regular starts have rarely come easily for Torres at Barcelona, with Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha the preferred front three for most of the campaign. Next season looks unlikely to open up more space: Lewandowski's exit is expected to be followed by a move for Julian Alvarez or another recognised number nine, while incoming wide options Anthony Gordon and, potentially, Karim Adeyemi would squeeze his path to minutes further still.
Money matters here too. Barcelona have already had to draw down a €210m advance against future broadcast income just to fund this summer's business and next winter's window, and a sale would go some way toward easing that strain while freeing up space for the club's new attacking arrivals.